Pipe-bending device



L. w. Jo-NS. PIPE BENDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14,1920.

1,378,796; Patented May 17,1921.

1W Mf 3 jl Il' W I j /4 Hl' L. W. IONES.

PI'PE BENDING DEVICE. APPLICATION men 1511.14, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented May 17,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS W. JONEs, or CLEVELAND, OHIO.

PIPE-BENDING DEVICE.

To all whom-it may concern:

'Be it known that l, Louis W. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of hio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements lnvPipe-Bending Devices, 4of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to a device to be used in bending pipe, being particularly intended to be used by workmen installing electric systems where pipes are used to carry the conducting wires, which pipes, being vsupplied in straight pieces of stock length, are bent and out to Suit the requirements of each particular job. The invention, however, is not limited in its useful application to such use.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of one forni of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the broken line IIx-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of one of the bending blocks constituting part ofthe device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a device somewhat different from that illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line V-V of Fig. 4. V

Fig. 6 is a plan -view of still another ernbodiment of the invention.

Referring particularly to the form of device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, 2 indicates the base of the device, being a casting of the desired shape, such as illustrated in the drawings, and adapted to be secured to a suitable support, as by screw bolts adapted to pass through the holes 3.' At one end of this base plateis secured a pipe vise 4. This may be of any usual or preferred kind or construction. That shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is` represented as having its upper part, carrying the adjustable clamping jaw 6, pivotally connected with the base piece at 5, the latter being shaped to receive the stationary clamping jaws 7. This arrangement permits the pivoted part tolbe thrown back to admit the piece of pipe A that is to be bent. 8 represents a pivoted hook connected with the upper swinging portion of the pipe vise andadapted to engage with a lug 9 on the base plate. There are two of these lugs 9 on opposite sides of the device, and also two perforated stationary bearings-22 for the pivot bolt 5, permitting the pipe Patented May 17, 1921.

Application filed February 14, 1920. Serial No. 358,658.

vise to be reversibly supported so that its upper part may be swungeither to the right or to the left as desired. c

10 designates a bending block. It preferably has two faces at right angles to each other,y these being united by a curved face that constitutes the die against which the pipe is bent and which determines the radius of the bend that shall be imparted thereto'. The bending block 10 is held in place upon the surface of the base piece 2 and in front of the pipe vise 4 by a strong bolt 11 seated in a screw threaded aperture provided therefor in the plate.

One of the straight edges or faces of the block 10 bears against an abutment ledge 12 located between the bolt 11 and thevpipe vise. This ledge which is preferably anfintegral part of the casting 2 serves to relieve the bolt 11 of strain during the pipe bending operation.

13, 13 indicate a series of parallel Straight low ridges integral with the base piece 2 and located at one of the sides thereof and near the toe 23 of the block or former 1() being used. They are shown as disposed at right angles to the lineof the pipe A when secured in the vise. They serve to assist the operator in determining when the pipe has been bent to such extent that its-straight Aportions are at right angles tov each other.

There may be several of these ridges as shown, and they may be duplicated on the opposite sides of the base plate, and may be arranged at diiferent angles relative to the line of the pipe when held in the vise from that shown, if desired.

The device is provided with several bending blocks to be used in making bends of larger or smaller radius, as may be desired. The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 carries three f blocks, 10, 10, 10, the one designated 10 being 1n position for use, and those designated 10', 10 supported on the opposite side of the plate from the bending block 10, so as to be out of the way when bending block 10 is being'used, and yet in convenient position to be substituted for block 10 if occasion requires. Indeed block designated 10 could be used when supportedL as shown if it were desired to make what is known as a left hand bend. Most workmen prefer to use a pipe bending device the other way, bending the pipe in the direction indicated by the dotted lines in Fig.v 1, and therefore it will be common practice to substitute one bend- Cri ing block for another, the one used being usually in the position indicated by the block 10 in Fig. 1. The heel 24 of each bending block, that is, the portion With which the pipe irst engages, and being the part of the curved bending face ot the former nearest to the pipe vise when in position for use, is at such distance from the axial center of the securing bolt that such heel is on the line occupied by the edge of the pipe to be bent when clamped in the vise. Since there is a common securing and holding means for the several blocks or formers, the distance of the heel 24 from the aperture through Which passes the securing bolt Will be a little different in one former from What it is in another. Thus in former 10 which is properly shaped for giving the desired bend to one inch pipe, such distance will be a little less than in former 10, which is shaped for use when three-quarters inch pipe is to be bent; While the distance of the heel from the bolt opening in former 10, used in bending one-half inch pipe is a little greater than the distance in former 10. This expedient makes it unnecessary to change the position of the vise Whenever the bending block or former is changed.`

The reserve bending blocks are held in place upon the face of the base by lbolts 14,14. 15 represents a roller supported by bracket 16 at the end of the base piece 2 opposite the pipe vise. This serves as a rolling support for the pipe A When being introduced into the vise. 1t also serves as a convenient handle by which the device may be carried. When using a device such as described it becomes a very simple matter to accurately determine the distance from the end of the pipe to the bend which is made by the use of one of the ormers. For instance, the block 10 is of such size that the distance from the outer edge of the right angle bend given to a pipe of say one-half inch diameter to the outer faces of the clamping jaws of the pipe vise, is six inches. If, therefore, it is desired that the bend in the pipe shall be four feet, six inches from the end of the pipe, it is only necessary that the pipe be extended exactly four feet beyond the outer face of the clamping jaws. This measurement having been made and the pipe secured by the vise, the pipe is bent and the bend is formed at exactly the desired dis tance from the end of the pipe.

The form of invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 contemplates the base piece being especially constructed to support a vise of the form shown, parts of vvhich are integral with the casting 2. In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a form of the invention with which an ordinary pipe vise separable from the casting 2 may be used. Here the base piece or casting is formed with a platform or projection 17 adapted to support and have bolted to it the pipe vise, the position of the base ofpwhich is designated kby the dotted lines in Fig. 4. y

In Fig. 6 I have shown a form of the invention in which the bending pieces are diilerent from those shown in the other views. Here they are represented as formed of a series of concentric cylinders 18 supported upon bolts 11.` There are several of these cylinders. Vhen they are all in place as represented in Fig. 6, a bend of large radius is given to the pipe. If a bendoil smaller radius Were desired one or more of the cylinders would be removed7 the remainas indicated at 19, permitting it to be turned so that the edge of the pipe will just contact With the edge of the cylinder 18 that is to be used as the former.

The several cylinders 18 nest together `quite closely, but may be separate as occasion may require. To hold them in place I may use a crosspiece adapted to lie over the ends of the several cylindrical pieces 18, and held in place by the bolt 11, or else, and preferably, provide each inner cylinder with projections 23 that rest in recesses provided therefor inthe ends of the cylinder next larger. Thus the projections on each smaller and inner cylinder holds in place each larger and outer cylinder When they are concentrically arranged and the bolt 11 is in place, as represented in Fig 6.

The upper face of the ledge 12 is preferably in the same horizontal plane as is the upper edge of the roller 15, so that the pipe When in proper position to be clamped by the vise rests upon the upper faces of the ledge 12 and the roller 15.

In that form of the invention represented in Fig. 6 the ledge 12 serves primarily. as j a support for the pipe.

What I claim is 1. In a pipe bending device, the combination oit' a base, a pipe vise supported at one end 01' the base, an abutment ridge rising from the base in `front of the vise, a removable bending former adapted to rest upon the base and having one face adaptedto bear against the said abutment ridge, and

. another face curved with a heel in line With the pipe to be bent when held in the vise, and means for securing the former to the base in the position stated.

`2. A pipe bending` device, comprising a base plate, a pipe vise supported by the plate, a plurality of bending blocks of difl ferent radii, means for securing the said ravages blocks upon the face of the plate, two of the blocks being on opposite sides of the line of a pipe held in the vise and in position for either one to act as the bending die for a piece of pipe so held and a transverse abutment ridge located between the bending blocks vand the pipe vise against which rest the side edges of the bending blocks When in position for use.

3. A pipe bending device, comprising a base plate, a plurality of bending blocks of different radii,L means for securing these upon the face of the plate with one at least the plate opposite the vise arranged to serve Y as a support for the pipe about to be bent, and also as a handle by which the device may be carried.

' Louis W. JONES. 

